to think it's inconsiderate to travel in the quiet coach with small children

[someonestolemynick]

That, really.

I make a point of sitting in the quiet coach, where available in order to be able to work, read or just be alone with my own thoughts.

Today I'm joined by a young family with a baby. Of course, the baby starts crying whenever we go through a tunnel. Arrrgh! I know children make noice, hence KEEP.THEM.OUT.OF.THE.QUIET.ZONE.

AIBU?

[UptheChimney]

Ubik, I was a prisoner of the West coast line for a while, and I try to actively avoid anything Virgin-branded now. That train company couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery & those trains are very uncomfortable. Maybe it's those coditions which cause passengers on Virgin trains to be rather more badly behaved than other long distance train lines (I also regularly use Cross Country & Great Western).

I have a colleague who does a 2-hour each way daily commute on the west coast line who's stopped sitting in the Quiet Coach because she just can't bear the everyday disappointment at how badly people behave in the Virgin train Quiet Coaches. She says she's calmer if she doesn't get her hopes up, only to have them dashed by people's inconsiderate behaviour.

[morethanpotatoprints]

If the only seats available are in these coaches, then you sit in them.
I would not stand if there were seats available and I'd make as much noise as I like. Not that I'm noisy nor is my dd who frequently travels with me.
You could tut as much as you like, I'm not bothered.

[angelos02]

morethanpotatoprints are you 5 years old?

[morethanpotatoprints]

What has not being bullied by idiots have to do with being 5.
I believe that most people, well those staying within the law, buy a train ticket.
We all have the same right to a seat, obviously unless we haven't paid first class and that's all that's available.
I would make an effort to be more quiet than usual if having to go to the quiet coach, but I wouldn't permanently sit like a mouse.

[Caitlin17]

Re booking the quiet coach I travel regularly by train to Aberdeen and London from Edinburgh and now always book using a phone app. The app doesn't give the option of picking seats although seats can be booked. I've never when I've booked seats been allocated the quiet coach . I assume the default on the phone app is therefore not to put you in quiet.

[elastamum]

Seriously???

Are mumsnetters really so impolite that they think it is OK to let their children make as much noise as they like regardless of other service users?

Surely most of us would rather teach their children to respect others and behave well in public. The fact that some adults behave impolitely doesnt excuse anything.

Having travelled long haul (sometimes in business class) with just my DC for years, I cant get my head round that at all

[UptheChimney]

I would make an effort to be more quiet than usual if having to go to the quiet coach, but I wouldn't permanently sit like a mouse

That's big of you. How generous and gracious.

But seriously, you don't have to "sit like a ouse" in the Quiet Coach. You can sit quite normally, just put your mobile phone on silent, make or receive phone calls in the lobby or another carriage, use headphones & keep the volume down, and keep talking low & to a minimum. Nothing difficult there.

If you're traveling with children, as others on this thread have said, they keep them occupied and sitting in their seats. Again, not rocket science generally.

And if you're asked to keep the noise down because it's the Quiet Coach the other thing that polite considerate passengers can do is apologise and try to keep the noise down, not threaten other passengers (as I've been threatened) swear at them (I've been called a bitch and worse for pointing out to a loud phone-talker that it's the Quiet Zone) and not act as though you're the entitled spoilt one, and that the request for quiet in the Quiet Coach is unreasonable.

It's actually really not that difficult.

[Ubik1]

Today I'm joined by a young family with a baby. Of course, the baby starts crying whenever we go through a tunnel. Arrrgh! I know children make noice, hence KEEP.THEM.OUT.OF.THE.QUIET.ZONE

Thus is the original op

I don't think anyone has stated that they would hold a band rehearsal, paint themselves green or indeed deliberately be noisy in quiet carriage. I wouldn't do that in any carriage.

But the implication is that young families should stay out of the quiet carriage in case baby cries.

[angelos02]

But the implication is that young families should stay out of the quiet carriage in case baby cries

Wow, Ubik1 is finally getting it.

[UptheChimney]

Cue hundreds of posts from MNers saying how much they adore the sound of children their own, other people's crying loudly or screaming ...

[Ubik1]

And that is wrong angelo.

[angelos02]

We'll agree to disagree. although I actually know that I am right

[ReginaldBlinker]

^^

[Ubik1]

I think I could manage to accept that babies cry on public transport. I wouldn't really give it a second thought.

[Ubik1]

I am right

[UptheChimney]

**

Hope you're not in the Quiet Coach!

[someonestolemynick]

Wow, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all these replies.

I object to being called a child hater, because I want to keep young children out of public transport (I don't, just out of the quiet coach). Surely that is common sense, though. Babies cry, they can't help it. With that knowledge why would you inflict unavoidable noise on people, who expressed their desire to sit in quiet zones. Would you take your baby to the Opera and let then feel really hard done by , if people find it hard to tolerate your screaming bundle of joy?

Having said that, I wasn't aware of the booking issue, but doubt it was applicable to my train journey (london marylebone to aylsebury, if that helps). In some instances, it seems to be unavoidable, but in most cases, I am convinced, all it takes is a little bit thought and consideration from the parents.

[tethersend]

I want to keep my own crying, running child out of the quiet coach AND THEY WON'T LET ME

[morethanpotatoprints]

UptheChimney

Thank you, that's very nice of you.
The way you describe is the way we act though. Very few parents let their dc run wild, whichever carriage they are in.
Music is quiet, others couldn't hear it, talking quietly etc.
You still get hushed though, believe me.
Hence, my statement of not sitting like a mouse.
I refuse to do this when I have bought a ticket.

A few weeks ago the people in the quiet coach were asking my dd and her friends to sing for them. It was the last train out of our area and all others had been cancelled, the day of the bad weather.
Got talking to a posh man, who asked where the dc had been, when we told them he said "Oh do get them to sing for us". I asked them, the kids said yes and they did. They managed the first half of the concert before some of our party left the train
Even the quiet coaches like a bit of entertainment when times are bad

[Ubik1]

I've won the thread

ner ner ner ner ner

morethanpotatoprints how lovely

[maggiemight]

Last time I travelled in the quiet coach on virgin some wha wha public school eejit at the back of the coach spouted forth so loudly that I could hear it even though I had earplugs in (always take these on train journeys due to other passengers being irritatingly noisy (not a prob on planes as engines re noisy)) so it isn't just babies.

But the train company should fix these things. It's like supermarkets putting child friendly or disabled parking then ignoring who uses it.

[Caitlin17]

morethan how very nice you found someone who put up with your children singing. I wouldn't have been charmed. I don't expect children to be as quiet as mice but I no more have to tolerate unsolicited musical performances from them than any other passengers.

And so far as your comment "music is quiet" you should not be playing music on a train. It's extremely selfish with or without children to force other people to listen to your choice of music.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Caitlin

You're probably just jealous that your dc and peers aren't international singing sensations.

Yes, any music we play is very quiet, nobody else would hear it. I wouldn't want dd to hurt her ears with loud music.

The children were requested to sing, they cheered up a lot of people who had previously wondered how the hell they were going to get home.

[UptheChimney]

any music we play is very quiet, nobody else would hear it

Well it would be quiet to others, seeing as it'd be played through headphones, wouldn't it?

Wouldn't it?

[Caitlin17]

upthechomney yes I did wonder about that too.

morethanI don't expect you and your children to sit in silence but just remember your children are not interesting to other people.